Russia warns UK military sites could be targeted over Ukraine strikes

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova warned Thursday that British military facilities in Ukraine and beyond could be targeted in response to London's continued supply of long-range missiles to Kyiv. Speaking at a press briefing in Moscow, Zakharova said Moscow had repeatedly warned that any British military installations and equipment in Ukraine and beyond could face strikes following Ukrainian attacks using British weapons on Russian territory.

She described the topic of the transfer of Storm Shadow long-range cruise missiles to Kyiv as the "quintessence of London's involvement" in the ongoing war. "We have repeatedly warned that any British military installations and equipment in Ukraine and beyond could be targeted in response to Ukrainian strikes using British weapons on Russian territory," Zakharova said.

Missile transfers and usage

Zakharova noted that the UK had avoided answering questions about the use of Storm Shadow missiles since their initial transfer in 2023, but that "their use became obvious" at a certain point. She said the use of the missiles had since "expanded beyond London's declared area," recalling statements by former UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron in May 2024, when he said it was up to Ukraine to decide how and where to use British weapons.

She also said Moscow took note of British Prime Minister Keir Starmer's announcement that the UK would transfer classified blueprints for British-made components of the SCALP missile — a French version of the UK's Storm Shadow cruise missile — for Ukraine to produce domestically. "Andy Burnham's government understands, I believe, where this will lead," Zakharova said, accusing the UK government of continuing to seek to inflict a "strategic defeat" on Russia, an effort she said was "doomed to failure."

Appeal to British public

She went on to call on UK residents to "consider the inevitable catastrophic consequences of the hostile actions of their own authorities." "We also urge the British leadership to thoroughly analyze the situation once again and immediately, in the most decisive and unequivocal manner, abandon its hostile, aggressive stance" against Russia, she added.